Are we sleepwalking through our waking state or wake-walking through our dreams? That is the question posed by this imaginative feature from the director of Slacker and Dazed and Confused. Here we follow Wiley Wiggins as he searches for answers to life’s most important questions in a world that may not be reality.

A vibrant, animated cousin of Linklater’s debut, Slacker, Waking Life perfectly illustrates the uncertainty of everyday life, while rallying against the dull complacency that is so often the norm. We follow Wiley Wiggins (unnamed in the film) through the streets of Austin in what may or may not be a dream. What follows is a series of philosophical discussion on the nature of life, consciousness, sanity, and many other things. Some of these vignettes are captivating, others are a bit tedious, but the journey is never uninteresting.

As Wiggins drifts from situation to situation – much like the camera did in Slacker – we are exposed to a flood of exhilarating ideas that cleanse us of the boredom of everyday life. To see these characters walking around, discussing ideas, theories, incidents and possibilities, never claiming to have the answers to anything, is refreshing and exciting. It is okay that they do not have the answers; the problem is not asking the questions.

The animation is unusually realistic, and it brings vibrance to the film that we rarely see. Having the animation done over existing digital video footage gives a hallucinatory effect. We have a handheld animated movie, something is both live action and cartoon all at the same time. (The bonus material goes into greater technical detail as to how this was achieved.)

A character in the film says that existentialism offers more hope than predestination because it gives us a reason to change things. Ultimately, that is the tone we are left with after Waking Life, one of hope, the yearning to break with the tyranny of the mundane. This is the kind of film you want to watch over and over, not to understand it, but to embrace the journey these characters are on.

Waking Life is presented in its original 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen format. The transfer is extremely crisp, staying true to the beauty of the animation. Optional English and French subtitles are also available.

The audio presentation offers both English and Spanish language tracks. The English is presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround, and the Spanish in Dolby Stereo. This is a solid presentation, with great sound dispersal throughout.

The Waking Life DVD offers a detailed look into this innovative film.

Feature length text commentary: With this activated, subtitles will appear at various points in the film that identify who is speaking and give some background on the ideas they are talking about.

Filmmaker’s commentary: Linklater, Wiggins, the film’s producer, and the film’s art director discuss the ideas in the film, how the project came to be, how certain decisions were made, and how things evolved as they went on. An interesting commentary.

Commentary by the animators: More than 25 of the animators talk about the scenes they worked on, the challenges, and how decisions were made.

Theatrical trailer: The original trailer.

EPK featurette: This one discusses how the film was shot on digital video and how the animation was drawn over top of the video footage.

Animation Scrap Heap: 19 scenes, extended and alternate cuts, different versions of the animations of certain scenes.

Greatest Hits: The Live Action version: Many of the same scenes from above, this time shown in the original DV format.

Bob Sabiston’s animation tutorial: The film’s art director demonstrates the rotoscoping software that was used to make this film.  He talks about some of the challenges and the different techniques that were used.

“Snack and Drink” animated film short: A short animated film that Sabiston made prior to Waking Life.

First Pass: Bob and Rick’s animation tests: A quick look at some early tests shows us how the animation evolved and came together.

Biographies: Short pieces about Linklater and the cast.

The bonus material really gives us a detailed look at the intellectual, artistic and technical aspects of the film.